Pujols' 30th HR ends Cardinals' latest extra-inning affair

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Extra innings means extra chances for Albert Pujols. For the second time in three long games he came through
with a game-winning home run.

Elias Says

Pujols

Albert Pujols' home run in the bottom of the 14th inning gave the Cardinals a 3-2 win over the Dodgers. It's the fifth time in his career that Pujols has hit a game-ending home run in extra innings. Only three other active players have ever done that at least five times: Jim Thome (6), Barry Bonds (5) and Tim Salmon (5). While Pujols has only been in the major leagues since 2001, the other three all debuted in 1992 or earlier.

Pujols' league-leading 30th homer with one out in the 14th
inning gave the St. Louis Cardinals a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, their third straight win in extra innings. He
nearly ended the game with a homer in the ninth with a ball that
died at the warning track in center, and grounded out in the 12th.

"You give Albert enough chances in any situations he's going to
come through," reliever Adam Wainwright said. "He's proven that
time and time again this year.

"It's almost surprising that he didn't do it before he did,
he's that good of a player."

Jim Edmonds hit a game-tying two-run home run in the seventh and
made a running catch at the warning track to rob Andre Ethier in
the 13th for the NL Central leaders, who have won four in a row.
They've played a total of 36 innings in the last three games, the
first two victories coming against Houston before the All-Star
break.

Pujols also homered off the Astros' Roy Oswalt to end a
10-inning game on Saturday. He has seven career game-winning homers
and two this season after hitting a 3-1 pitch from Odalis Perez
(4-4) well over the left-field wall into the visitor's bullpen.

"Anytime you hit a walkoff home run that's the best home run in
the game," Pujols said. "A long night like this, your first game
coming back from the break, it's pretty tough.

"We battled through, we were focused. I'm glad we're done
playing."

Perez said he was trying to walk Pujols on a 3-2 count. Pujols
is 10-for-15 against Perez with five homers.

"He went out and got it," Perez said. "It was a changeup
away."

Manager Grady Little said he preferred to challenge Pujols, no
matter who was pitching to him.

"Sooner or later, you've got to do something," Little said.
"There's not enough bases out there to intentionally walk
everybody you want to."

Braden Looper (5-1) allowed one hit in the top of the 14th to
help the Cardinals win their first game after the break for the
third straight season.

Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers hit a two-run homer in the
third to extend his hitting streak to 22 games. It's the
second-longest streak in the majors this year, trailing only Edgar Renteria's 23-game run in April.

But Garciaparra struck out with runners on first and third
against Wainwright for the last out in the 10th, and lined out
against Josh Hancock with a runner on second to end the 12th.

Rafael Furcal had four hits, two doubles, and a stolen base for
the Dodgers and is batting .429 (15-for-35) during an eight-game
hitting streak. He's a career .372 hitter against St. Louis.

Cardinals starter Jason Marquis worked eight innings in his
third straight effective outing, allowing two runs and six hits.
Marquis has a 5.34 overall ERA but he's 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA the
last three times out, although he leads the NL with 21 homers
allowed.

Dodgers rookie starter Chad Billingsley worked around five walks
in five scoreless innings, three times escaping bases loaded
situations. The 21-year-old Billingsley, a first-round draft pick
of the Dodgers in 2003, has 24 walks in 27 innings in the last five
starts of his six-start career.

The Dodgers' Jeff Kent, playing for the first time in seven
games due to a strained left side muscle, was 0-for-3. He was
removed in a double switch in the sixth inning.

"It's a situation where we didn't want to push him a lot in his
first game back," Little said "He did fine and he'll be back in
there tomorrow."

Game notes

Edmonds has 221 homers with the Cardinals, breaking a tie
with Mark McGwire for fourth on the team's career list. ...
Garciaparra is 32-for-89 (.360) during his hitting streak, the
Dodgers' longest since Paul Lo Duca hit in 25 straight in 2003. ...
The last time the Cardinals won three straight extra-inning games
was June 1-3, 1988.